1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mold, and more particularly, to an injection mod for a display panel of a washing machine.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Generally, a washing machine is an apparatus for removing contaminating particles attached to the laundry, e.g., clothes, linen, etc., using reaction between water and detergent. A control panel and a display panel are provided at one side of a cabinet of a washing machine to facilitate to operate the washing machine. A control panel 10 and a display panel 20 are explained in detail by referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 as follows.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a control panel 10 provided on a topside of a cabinet 1 of a washing machine according to a related art.
Referring to FIG. 1, a printed circuit board (PCB) 15 is installed on one side, e.g., lower side, of a control panel 10. Parts and switches for controlling various elements of a washing machine and light-emitting parts 17 such as LED, etc. are formed on the printed circuit board 15. And, a display device 16 for providing a user with information is provided to the printed circuit board 15 as well.
A support part 11 is formed concave at a central portion of an upper face of the control panel 10, and the control panel 10 is installed on the support part 11. And, an opening 11a is provided at a central portion of the support part 11 to be penetrated by a switch 14 and the like, which are installed on the printed circuit board 15 under the control panel 10. Moreover, a first groove 12 and a second groove 13 are provided to the support part 11 of the control panel 10 to support the display panel 20.
The display panel 20, as shown in FIG. 2, is installed on the support part 11. The display panel 20 consists of a fixing panel 22, a film 21, and a printed panel 23.
The fixing panel 22 is installed on the control panel 10. A window 22a is provided to the fixing panel 22 so that a user can receive information displayed on the display device 16 through the window 22a. Of course, light emitted from the light-emitting body 17 can be carried to the user through the window 22a as well.
A plurality of holes 22b are provided to the fixing panel 22 to be penetrated by the switches 14, respectively. An edge of the fixing panel is bent to be fitted to the first groove 12 to be fixed thereto.
The film 21 is attached on an upper surface of the fixing panel 22, and is formed of PC (polycarbonate) resin or PET (polyethylene terephthalate) resin based material for example. The film 21 includes buttons 21a protruding upward. Heat is appled to the flat film 21, and vacuum absorption or pressing is then performed on the heated film to form the convex buttons 21a. 
Each button 21a is provided to a portion of the film 21 confronting the corresponding hole 22b. Hence, once a user presses the button 21a, the switch 14 penetrating the hole 22b is pressed.
The film 21 can be attached to the fixing panel 22 in various ways. For instance, a binder is coated on a backside of the film 21 and the film 21 is then attached to the fixing panel 22. For another instance, the film 21 having its backside coated with the binder is loaded in a mold for forming the fixing panel 22, and synthetic resin is injected in the mold. In this case, the fixing panel 22 and the film 21 are formed in one body.
The printed panel 23 is provided under the fixing panel 22, i.e., between the fixing panel 22 and the support part 11 of the control panel 10. Characters, numbers, and symbols are printed on the printed panel 23. When the printed panel 23 lies beneath the fixing panel 22, a beautiful exterior appears thereon.
Meanwhile, a circumference of the printed panel 23 is bent downward, and a tip of the bent portion of the printed panel 23 is fitted to the second groove 13 to be fixed thereto. Apertures 23a are provided to the fixed printed panel 23 to be penetrated by the switches 14, respectively.
Once the control and display panels 10 and 20 are provided to one side of the cabinet 1 of the washing machine, the user presses the button 21a to conveniently control an operation of the washing machine. Meanwhile, the user is informed of information via the display device 16, thereby controlling the operation of the washing machine with ease.
However, the related art display panel has the following problems or disadvantages.
First of all, the printed panel 23 is disposed under the fixing panel 22 and is then fixed thereto. For this, a complicated configuration is needed. Namely, the circumference of the printed panel 23 has to be bent downward. And, the second groove 13 has to be provided to the support part 11 of the control panel 10. Moreover, the fixing panel 22 and the printed panel 23 are separately formed by injection molding. They are then assembled to the support part 11 of the control panel 10 respectively. Hence, the related art has difficulty in preparation and assembling as well as costs a great deal.
Secondly, there exists a gap between the fixing and printed panels 22 and 23, whereby dampness may flow in the gap on operating the washing machine. In this case, the user is unable to discern the contents printed on the printed panel 23.